Portable 340 - RV game changer?

[kenglishpc]

I have a RT700 that I'd been considering taking along on RV trips, but with the new 340 'Road Warrior', I'm thinking that might be the way to go. I mostly use the Bull for smoking, and I'm curious just how well the 340 works as a smoker. It would just be for me and my wife, so the smaller grill size wouldn't really affect us for amount of food. I also already have a good grill/griddle that I use. Any 340 owners care to enlighten me? Brisket, Butts, OTP Chili and ribs is my usual fair on the 700.

 

[Jim6820]

We carried our RT-340 in our motorhome for several years and it served us well. Even though we’ve now given up RVing, I still use the 340 at home. It will handle a 16# brisket, a couple of pork butts or a couple of slabs of ribs; plenty for my wife and I with significant leftovers. And, it does a great job of smoking; just as good, I think, as the larger models. I wouldn’t hesitate to travel with and use the RT-340. Mine has a problem connecting to wifi, but I don’t use the wifi functions anyway, so no problem.

 

[kenglishpc]

We carried our RT-340 in our motorhome for several years and it served us well. Even though we’ve now given up RVing, I still use the 340 at home. It will handle a 16# brisket, a couple of pork butts or a couple of slabs of ribs; plenty for my wife and I with significant leftovers. And, it does a great job of smoking; just as good, I think, as the larger models. I wouldn’t hesitate to travel with and use the RT-340. Mine has a problem connecting to wifi, but I don’t use the wifi functions anyway, so no problem.

Thanks Jim!! Exactly what I was hoping to hear.

 

[Gonefishin]

I have the older 340, legs fold up but not the scissor style of the new one. Being a camper, to me it’s too big, but I don’t have a 40’er. It’s also fairly heavy.

As far as cook’ing goes it works fine for the 2 of us, the most I do is 2 butts, a single rack of ribs, or a full packer, all work fine. Due to the headroom for turkeys you have to spatchcock them. Hams have to be fairly small. Other than that it works fine, in 3 years I’ve had the igniter burn out once and the black on the lid pealed off requiring repaint. If the size works, as far as transporting it goes, go for it.

the legs on mine are a bit shaky, I wouldn’t transport it setup.

 

[Jim6820]

I have the older 340, legs fold up but not the scissor style of the new one. Being a camper, to me it’s too big, but I don’t have a 40’er. It’s also fairly heavy.

As far as cook’ing goes it works fine for the 2 of us, the most I do is 2 butts, a single rack of ribs, or a full packer, all work fine. Due to the headroom for turkeys you have to spatchcock them. Hams have to be fairly small. Other than that it works fine, in 3 years I’ve had the igniter burn out once and the black on the lid pealed off requiring repaint. If the size works, as far as transporting it goes, go for it.

the legs on mine are a bit shaky, I wouldn’t transport it setup.

Yes, my RT-340 has the older-style legs as well, and I much prefer them. I added larger wheels and casters to the other end for better moveability. The new scissor-style legs look pretty flimsy and with the weight of the grill body (about 60#), I wouldn’t trust them. YMMV

 

[Graying Mantis]

This is a bit disappointing. It could be a game changer for a family that RVs, or tailgating, but it just looks like the RT340 with new legs. I was hoping for something to compete with the likes of a Green Mountain/ASmoke/Pit Boss portable. There's just 2 of us and the 189 square inches of a Weber Q works OK. I have a Bullseye at home and like the results better than the Q. Plus 87 pounds, with an empty hopper, can be a lot to get out and set up.

 

[kenglishpc]

Plus 87 pounds, with an empty hopper

Holy cow, I didn't look at the weight of this thing. Solo camping with this would be tough, unless I cooked in the bed of my truck :/.

 

[C. Keeper]

Holy cow, I didn't look at the weight of this thing. Solo camping with this would be tough, unless I cooked in the bed of my truck :/.

These may help!

 

[kenglishpc]

These may help!

View attachment 18851View attachment 18852

I do usually carry two Honda EU3000IS generators while camping. They weigh somewhere around that. I think RecTeq could make the collapsable legs more like an ambulance gurney legs

 

[Greg Jones]

We bought our RT-340 at Academy December 2020. We also bought an Icer cooler, with the idea that when we traveled to see my daughter and/or son during the pandemic, I could still cook for them. We’ve traveled a bit with the Icer, but we’ve never traveled with the RT-340. It’s just a handful and needs 2-3 people to safely handle its folding legs. It sounds like the new model may be an improvement for on the go, but still not perfect. I will say the 340 has been a surprisingly nice performer in a stay at home role.

 

[Tenn7b]

Thanks Jim!! Exactly what I was hoping to hear.

I have and use my rt-340 a lot. Dimensions and functionality between the the road warrior and the rt-340 appear to be the same. That aside, the only difference I see is an add of two more wheels and the loss of the bottom shelf. Plus $100.00! Am I missing something?

 

[JimB]

Agreed with other posts above. The 340 is "portable" in the sense that the legs fold up and my 15 year old son and I can lift it up onto the tailgate of my pickup. I've taken it to local holiday type campouts where we're not more than a couple of hours from home for a 3 day weekend with a group of friends. In those situations, I'm usually doing pork butts - it will hold a couple of 10 lb butts nicely - enough to feed a large group of people at a campout potluck type setting.

It's definitely too large to have a permanent home in my RV trailer. Not worth the trouble (IMHO) for a short 2 night weekend, or to carry on a 2 week travelling vacation. If you were going to one place for 2 weeks, it would be great, but we tend to explore - staying in each location for 2-3 nights at most before moving on.

Functionally, the only problem I have is the app. I had visions of being able to monitor the grill while on hikes, bike rides, etc. or even just sitting around a neighboring campfire a few sites away from ours. Unfortunately, the app does not work like that. It needs an actual internet connection back to RecTeq servers to work. It does not directly connect to your phone/smart device. So, when your out at a state part with no internet service, even if you are standing right next to the grill, there is no way to monitor it from your phone.

 

[RTFfan]

I have and use my rt-340 a lot. Dimensions and functionality between the the road warrior and the rt-340 appear to be the same. That aside, the only difference I see is an add of two more wheels and the loss of the bottom shelf. Plus $100.00! Am I missing something?

I believe its has the same controller as the bulls eye. So the road warrior has a downgraded controller for more money. love my 340 though. We use it camping and at home.

 

[SmokeZilla]

I have a toy hauler and considered the RT340 after I realized the RT700 with competition cart was way overboard. Since I can open the entire back end, it was easy to move up the ramp into my rig, but way too much for a typical 5-7 day trip. Another negative was the smokey smell that lingered even though my garage section is well vented. I finally decided against the ‘340 because it seemed a little flimsy and took way to much overhead/accessories (e.g, pellets, power, and similar, which I have but boon-dock often and don’t want to run my genset all day for a rack of ribs). Ultimately, I settled in on the Blackstone Tailgater. It has many different configurations including a gill cabinet, a one or two griddle configuration, use as a single burner stove and other features. It packs well, is light (relatively speaking) and I always have an ample supply of propane available. Whenever I need a smokey experience, I use a smoke tube and it suffices. Just my thoughts, good luck with your decision.